Moira Forbes hosts the video series "Success with Moira Forbes" and "Women to Watch." She is publisher of ForbesWoman, a multi-media platform serving successful women in business and leadership. Representing four generations of publishers, Moira joined Forbes in 2001 in its London office. She graduated from Princeton University.

I was stunned. Here was one of the most respected, successful women in business—how could she be anything but thrilled about the accolade honoring her personal and professional successes? We ended up posing for a generic party picture instead. It was a surprising moment—one that has stuck with me over the past year. And Sandberg’s new book, Lean In, surprised me, too. Here are some of the most thought-provoking moments I had while reading it.

That Davos incident? She writes about it in Lean In’s opening pages, sharing that she is “a long way from mastering the art of feeling confident” and emphasizing her ongoing struggle to graciously accept her (well-earned) accolades. “Far from feeling powerful, I felt embarrassed and exposed,” she writes about her prominent placement on our list. “I was showing too many people how uncomfortable I felt and revealing my insecurity. Instead, I needed to simply say, ‘Thank you.’” Even in her current role as C.O.O. of Facebook she writes, “I still face situations that I fear are beyond my qualifications. I still have days when I feel like a fraud.”

Some may bristle, arguing that Sandberg’s book, written from a high perch of political and economical power, is out of touch for most women, but I believe personal stories like the ones above will resonate. We may not all be power women, but I suspect most of us can relate to Sandberg’s insecurities and rocky relationship with self-confidence. Sandberg taps into that with her confessions, creating intimacy with her audience. She capitalizes on the power of how women naturally communicate—with candor and honesty — to forge real bonds with her readers. If they both look up to her and see themselves in her, then Sandberg’s call to action is more effective and underscores the power of authentic leadership.

2. She wants us to think about marriage differently with prickly, and provocative advice.

Many women talk about the importance of “supportive” partners who share the household duties and childcare responsibilities, but Sandberg pushes that idea further, talking about marriage like a business partnership. “I truly believe that the single most important career decision that a woman makes is whether she will have a life partner and who that partner is. I don’t know of a single woman in a leadership position whose life partner is not fully—and I mean fully—supportive of her career. No exceptions,” she writes. “And contrary to the popular notion that only unmarried women can make it to the top, the majority of the most successful female business leaders have partners.”

Sandberg surprisingly dedicates an entire chapter to this entitled “Make Your Partner a Real Partner.” It’s a call to action for women to choose mates who won’t phone it in—and, even more crucially, to cede a great deal of household control to them. In other words, it’s not just about finding a man who will pitch in at home, or who will support your aspirations in the work place, it’s about redefining traditional feminine and masculine roles. “Let him put the diaper on the baby any way he wants as long as he is doing it himself,” she writes. With all of the debate the book has sparked, it would a shame if that controversy overshadows Sandberg’s provocative suggestion that we have to change how we think about what makes a successful partnership.

3. She’s actually sort of apologizing.

When the pregnancy, maternity leave and company policy decisions made by women in powerful leadership positions are unrelentingly scrutinized under microscopes like news shows, newspapers and blogs, there is no question that Sandberg’s book will be a hot topic for months, maybe even years. (In fact, the recent decree from Yahoo’sMarissa Mayer recent decree on telecommuting is the only news story that has threatened to eclipse Sandberg’s book release.)

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